NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

 September a new month…a new season. September started off with our first Junior Varsity game against the Loyalsock Lancers. I was starting at Linebacker, we ran a 5-2 and on offense I started at Guard but I eventually switched to Center halfway through the game. Our team wasn’t prepared for a game; what I mean we never actually practiced as a team. It was more important to get the Varsity team ready for Fridays. So we lost 44-6. I recorded 8 total tackles, 4 solos and 4 assists. So the next day it was back to practices 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm Tuesday through Thursday. But, I was still lifting and running after practices.

Thursday was pre game like every week. Pre game was full pads put light hitting and we had a spaghetti dinner afterwords. This pre game was special though because we were preparing for an important game against the Danville Ironmen. Danville was a team that could make it to playoffs and they have so much talent. Plus this was time for the Central Columbia Blue Jays to redeem themselves from 3 years of losing seasons. We did just that we showed up on Friday played football and won against a great team with a great D-I prospect quarterback, 48-35. I did not play this game but I was still on the sidelines cheering the team on, congratulating players, and calling pass or run. After a great win we had practice Saturday, we watched film and lifted a little afterwards. Next Monday we had a JV game against Danville, it was a tough game but in the end Danville’s special teams led them to a 26-6 win. We lost our second game. I finished this game with 7 total tackles; 1 assist and 6 solos. Now it was back to practices, lifting and running after.

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NCSA caught up with rising volleyball star Alex Martin to talk about her high school and club seasons, and the opportunity to compete at the next level. 

NCSA: How did your high school team do this year?

Martin: This year was a pretty good year. We stood our ground with teams that should have beaten us and we beat teams that we out-hustled. Although this year was a rebuilding year I would say that we played pretty good. We learned a lot about ourselves and hopefully all the good energy will transfer over to next year.

NCSA: Were you recognized by your team or anyone else for your performance this year?

Martin: Surprisingly, yes.  I was in the paper every game I played. Which really was shocking because I only got to play 3 matches due to TSSAA rules (I switched High Schools). It felt great knowing that I was chosen out of all these talented girls I played with and against.

NCSA: How do you handle club tryouts? Are you nervous? If so, how do you get over your nerves?

Martin: Club tryouts for me are so fun! I have always felt pretty confident, because I know that if I get out there and leave110% on the floor and out hustle everyone and just play the game I know how to play that I will be fine. But I mean everyone has the jitters the first few drills and I just remember something my coach for club used to always tell us, “Heart is the difference between believing and achieving.” Then I just take a deep breathe, remember my fundamentals, and leave everything out on the court.

NCSA: What are you looking forward to most during this club season?

Martin: Where to start… This year is a very different year for me because I’m playing up an age group with Choo Choo 17-1’s.  I love a challenge and having to push myself to the limit, simply because I want to improve. It’s going to definitely be a challenge this year, but it’s a challenge I’m ready to overcome.

NCSA: What type of recruiting contacts do you have so far?

Martin:  Several contacts from SEC schools and also SoCon. I have reached out to many more schools and received questionnaires back from maybe half of them.

NCSA: What are your recruiting plans over the next 6 months?

Martin: I plan to continue contacting the schools I would like to attend, and continue to update my scouting report with stats, grades, strength and performance training achievements, all that.

NCSA: What is best advice you have heard about recruiting so far?

Martin:  Start early and stay organized. Stay on top of the things that colleges send you and keep sending them things to make you stand out to them, so that when they can contact you they will have knowledge about your prior achievements.

This week was national signing day in recruiting for many sports.  NCSA would like to congratulate all of our athletes who made commitments.  We look forward to our athletes signing many more letters as the school year continues.

(below: Kellie Deremo signs her Letter of Intent with Regis University)

 Hey everyone, Bobby Coburn checking in for the third time on NCSA. So far our record stands at 3-6; we ran into some tough teams the last few weeks and have been riddled with injuries the whole year. We have our last game this week against Western Reserve Academy (OH). We look at it as a great opportunity for the seniors on our team to go out on a good note.

Recruiting has picked up the last few weeks. My statistics have been good and I feel great about the film I’m sending out to schools. The schools I mentioned in my last two blogs are still expressing interest and some more schools have contacted me including Davidson, Wagner, Lafayette, Lehigh and Bucknell.

I also took a visit to Middlebury two weeks ago; I liked it because it’s in a nice area of the country and it’s one of the best schools in the country. I’m definitely very interested in them. I hope to take more visits once football seasons over and I plan on deciding on a school by the end of November so I can fully focus on my schoolwork, basketball season, and enjoying the end of my senior year.

NCSA has helped me immensely in showing all coaches at different levels my talent and letting me take care of the rest.

 Hell week or also known as two-a-days started August 11^th to August 21^st. They started at 8 am; we practiced till 10 am then had lunch and some brainwork. We started back up at Noon and ended at 2 pm. This was my first hell week and I had no idea what to expect.

Our first day was pretty hard and I felt sore but after the second day I think I started to get the hang of two-a-days. I was the underdog sophomore coming in so I had to prove something! So about the second or third day when I was playing Linebacker I blitzed like I never blitzed before and o’boy did I hit someone. That someone was an amazing 6ft junior linebacker, fullback, and tight end Kolby Fedder it was a hard hit! Ever since then I have not taken any practices easy.

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 10/13 Blog:

It’s officially Fall, my favorite season of the year, and that means homecoming, football…and, best of all, it means that high school basketball is a mere 3 weeks away!  This is week #8 of school and that also means that next week is finals week.  I can’t believe Term 1 is almost behind me and how fast my junior year seems to be passing by.  Here’s what’s been going on…

10/14 College Info:

I just got home from attending my first college orientation (Pepperdine).  There have been a few given at my school, but they seem to happen during a class period I haven’t been able to miss…Physics!!  This particular session was held in the evening at a local hotel and was really helpful.  I got real insight as to what they were looking for in their students, where I might fit in, and the areas I might want to work on.  With SAT’s just a couple of months away, I now have a firmer goal in mind after listening to their college rep fill in the blanks.  I feel I’m on target with my academics, and now I am just looking forward to going to a lot more of these!

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Matt Nelson of Cibolo Steele High (Cibolo, TX) recently got on the NCSA Hot Seat with Recruiting Coach Matt Webb where he was put through a gauntlet of questions about recruiting, superstitions, and what it takes to be a kicker at the next level.

NCSA: Matt, Cibolo Steele is off to a great start and you’re kicking the daylights out of the ball. What are your thoughts on your performance this year?

Nelson: I’m kicking the ball great; I missed a 47 yarder recently. But will make up for it this Friday!

NCSA: What’s it going to be like kicking for Louisiana Tech next fall?

Nelson: It’s an awesome opportunity, La. Tech wants me to play early and they have a great history of placing kickers onto the NFL.

NCSA: What advice can you give student-athletes in the recruiting process?

Nelson: Don’t expect schools to come to you. You have to put out the effort and hard work to get noticed.

NCSA: How did NCSA help you in the recruiting process?

Nelson: NCSA got me a lot of initial contacts, Matt Webb gave me advice on how to talk to coaches and be confident in my abilities.

NCSA: Its 4^th down and you’re kicking a 40 yard field goal. What’s going through your mind?

Nelson: Think of it like any other kick and put the ball through the pipes.

NCSA: Who inspired you to play football?

Nelson: John Elway and Brett Favre, I loved watching them in the Super Bowl which made me want to play.

NCSA: What is your post-game ritual?

Nelson: I always go out to eat with my family to Hooters, amazing wings!

NCSA: What opponents do you want to face at the next level?

Nelson: One of my teammates is a kick returner for Ole’miss right now. I would love to kick off to him. Another high school rival is a kick returner for Texas A&M, those would have to be my two.

NCSA: Most embarrassing play on the field?

Nelson: I was in practice one day where it was raining and the field was really muddy. I kicked a long field goal and then went flying on my can. That was pretty embarrassing. 

NCSA: Any superstitions?

Nelson: I wear a ring on my left hand and spin it twice before I kick!

NCSA: What does it take to be an outstanding kicker?

Nelson: Mental toughness over physical toughness. As a kicker you have to be strong upstairs.

Matt Nelson’s team faces Clemons High this Friday and will be proving to the Louisiana Tech Coaching staff why he is the kicker of the future. Thanks for letting NCSA help you in the recruiting process. Go Bulldogs!

 Hey everyone, Bobby Coburn here from Lake Forest Academy (Chicago, IL) blogging for the second time for NCSA. Our season has gotten off to a rough start; so far we’ve lost 3 games and won 1 game, but with each loss we take away something to get better at as a team. Not only that, but we have the toughest part of our schedule out of the way. We’ve played Chicago Christian and Aurora Christian (the two top teams in our conference) and even though we lost, we’ve learned from our losses and intend on winning our last 6 games.

Individually I’ve had some success: In our first game against Wayland Academy (Wisconsin) I had 6 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. The second game I had 3 catches for 60 yards and another touchdown. The third game was rough for our passing game because our quarterback injured his thumb, and it was pouring rain so I only had 3 catches for about 20 yards. This past week I had 4 catches for 90 yards. Additionally, I think I’ve made some plays that show my athleticism and good hands, so I feel good about the film I’ll be sending to coaches in the coming weeks.

Things have picked up for me recruiting wise. The NESCAC schools I mentioned in my last post (Colby, Middlebury, Wesleyan, and Tufts) are all calling me on a weekly basis. It feels great to have top academic schools recruiting me, even though they are Division 3. I’ve also spoken with some FCS schools, including Holy Cross, who lost by just 3 points to #4 ranked UMass. I called Coach Pedone from HC last week and he says they’re still very interested and they want to see my first 4 games on film, which is reassuring for me because I feel confident about my play this season so far.

I can’t emphasis enough the help that NCSA has given me in the recruiting process. By them circulating my recruiting profile to coaches across the nation I know that my talents are being shown to every level, which gives me ample opportunity to pick a school and a program that best suits me.

 Coming out of my freshmen season I knew I wanted to play College Football. So I started working twice as hard at school and football. I studied for hours and hours and it was worth it by the end of my freshmen years. With straight A’s the whole entire freshmen year I was ranked 15 out of 166 students, and my GPA ended up to be 3.75.

Through the year I played two other sports wrestling, and track and field, also in my spare time we went to our local gym where I would work out. I lifted, ran sprints, and did drills with my Dad.  The first combine that I attended in Pittsburgh, PA on April 28^th was Schuman’s National Underclassman combine. I think I did well for my first time but not my best. Doing well was not enough for me so that makes me work even harder for next year. I will make it one of my best!

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 Preseason practice is in full swing right now. We had our first scrimmage last Friday. The team is looking pretty good right now. The offense has to work out a few kinks, but besides that they are rolling right now. The defense is looking good too. We’re flying to the ball.

I’m starting to get some more phone calls now that the season is about to start. I recently got a call from Middlebury College and Johns Hopkins. I like Johns Hopkins’s because of its good engineering program. Right now the top schools on my list are Princeton University, Georgetown University, and Johns Hopkins. I went to Princeton and Georgetown’s camps this summer and got to talk with my positional coaches. After the first few games they want me to send in the film for my senior season.

I’m very excited about the year ahead of me. I picked out some challenging classes again but I am prepared for them. At the moment I am working on a summer reading assignment for Honors English and selling ads for yearbook. I’m going to keep working hard and I hope it pays off this year.